


Four Swords

by Philomytha



Category: Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold
Genre: Gen, Kid Fic, Mostly Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-14
Updated: 2019-11-14
Packaged: 2021-01-30 17:21:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21431911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Philomytha/pseuds/Philomytha
Summary: Miles and Ivan play duelling.
Comments: 33
Kudos: 164





	Four Swords

Her commlink chimed and Cordelia gulped down her tea and answered it. "Yes?"

"My lady--Cordelia--you're needed out on the south lawn--um--"

Captain Illyan's voice was hesitant in a way that told Cordelia that this was family business, not security. 

"Is it Piotr?"

"No, it's Aral, I mean the Lord Regent, it's--the scanners threw up some keywords and it was routed to my desk and--could you just please go out, my lady?" 

"I'm on my way, but if you could be a little less mysterious, that would be useful, Simon. What's wrong with clear communication?" 

"The boys were playing and Aral--I think you're needed there." 

Cordelia could see through the patio windows now, Aral standing over Miles and Ivan, who both were cringing slightly. As she watched, Aral lifted a toy sword and snapped it across his knee. "Yes. I see what you mean. Thank you, Simon, I'll take it from here." 

She opened the door and strode down the steps. "What's up?" she asked calmly. Aral turned to her. He was pale with fury, and something more than fury. Three other broken toy swords lay at his feet. 

Four swords. There were a lot of Barrayaran cultural references that she was still missing, even after almost seven years here, but this was one she had no trouble picking up the clues for. And Captain Vortalon had fought duels in last night's episode of the drama. 

Aral turned away from her, back to the boys. "You will not," he whispered, "you will never, ever, do this again. Do you understand?" At their shuffling incomprehension, he repeated in an even more furious whisper, "_Do you understand?_"

"I doubt it," Cordelia said, pitching her voice with just a hint of Captain Naismith Is Here Now in it, enough to override Aral. "Boys, we don't play duelling in this house. In this House," she repeated, finding the Barrayaran emphasis landing on her tongue almost by accident. "Duelling is against the law, and it's a very stupid and inefficient way of resolving disputes anyway. If you can't agree, you sit down and talk, and if you can't reach an agreement you find an adult to help you figure it out."

"But you _gave_ us the swords," Miles protested. "Why did you give them to us if we aren't allowed to use them?"

Ivan gave him a horrified, resigned look. Do not poke the furious grown-up. Of course Miles would poke. 

"Clearly, it was a mistake. Apologise for duelling, and go play something that doesn't involve violence," Cordelia said before Aral could come up with a response to this. 

Ivan promptly began to apologise. Miles drew breath as if about to object again, but both Cordelia and Aral glared at him in parallel. He subsided, then said, "I'm sorry for duelling," and fled with Ivan. 

Cordelia turned to Aral and waited. She saw him steam through the arguments, the explanations, the justifications, and come adrift on her patient gaze. He rubbed his hands over his face. "Duelling," he muttered. "They just had to, didn't they?"

"I'm kind of with Miles on this one. You gave them the swords and steeped them in the stories. And I'm not sure you ever have told them not to play duelling." 

"I shouldn't have to tell--" he flared up, then subsided again. "It's Miles. Of course I have to tell him. Just like it turns out I had to explicitly tell him he's not allowed to take an ImpSec commlink and use it to send decoy messages to lure three of our guards into a bog. Or that he was not allowed to go camping and build a bonfire on the Residence back lawn. Or that he can't abduct Gregor for a swimming trip in the Long Lake without telling anyone where the Emperor has gone. Or--" Aral put his hands over his face for a moment. "I thought the Regency would be harder than fatherhood," he muttered. 

"Come on," Cordelia said. "They're a new generation. They're going to have to discover everything again from scratch. We just have to try to keep them from discovering too many of our mistakes."

"And that's hard enough," Aral muttered, wrapping an arm around her and following her back into the house. "What about the new mistakes they're going to find out instead?"

Cordelia laughed. "We'll just have to wait and see what happens."


End file.
